Last update 5/21/2019

​​Houston Area G Gaugers

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HOUSTON AREA G GAUGERS

By-Laws

Ratified April 12, 2018

Revised January 25, 2019

Article I

Name, Objectives and Executive Board

Section 1. The name of this organization shall be the Houston Area G Gaugers or HAGG.

Section 2. The purpose of HAGG is to promote the hobby of G scale and garden railroading, to provide a

social opportunity to exchange information and ideas and to provide members with a means of sharing

their trains and/or garden railroads with each other.

Section 3. The Executive Board is the elected governing body of this organization and will serve as dictated by these By-Laws. The Executive Board shall consist of the Officers of the organization as described in Article V of these By-Laws.

Article II

Membership

Section 1. Membership is available to any person or family of good character interested in the objectives of this organization upon payment of dues as dictated in Article III of these By-Laws. Membership will be a family membership, if applicable, and will include a member’s spouse and children. Children 12 years of age through 17 years of age and adult children living at home while attending school or in the military will have voting privileges. Special consideration may be given if approved by the Executive Board. Voting members are considered as follows: the member, the member’s spouse, if applicable, and any children as defined above, assuming all such individuals are listed on the membership/renewal application as defined in Article II, Section 2. of these By-Laws.

Section 2. All applications for membership and annual renewals of membership shall be made on a form approved by the Executive Board and completed in full. The purpose of completing the form is to ensure the club has current contact information. Names of all family members included in the membership are required on the application form. The completed application and the appropriate dues will be sent to the vice president. Changes to family members included in the membership are the responsibility of the member.

Section 3. The Executive Board may designate any person an honorary member. Honorary members shall not be entitled to vote or hold office. Honorary members will not be required to pay dues.

Section 4. Membership can be terminated for a member who does not act in compliance with these By-Laws, or whose actions otherwise reflect negatively on the club. Revocation of membership shall require a unanimous vote of the Executive Board. All actions shall be kept confidential by all parties concerned and the decision of the Executive Board shall be final.

Article III

Dues

Section 1. Annual dues are due and payable in the month of the anniversary date of the member/member family joining the club. Dues are to be submitted/paid to the vice president and should be made payable to: Houston Area G Gaugers. Any fees or charges for using Pay Pal or other such methods will be the responsibility of the member using such methods. All dues are non-refundable.

Section 2. Annual dues shall be proposed by the Executive Board such that the needs of the club can be met without interruption, and subject to a vote of members per Article IX of these By-Laws.

Section 3. If a member fails to pay dues, the vice president shall issue a reminder. If a member falls three months in arrears in paying dues and has not made acceptable arrangements with the Executive Board, membership privileges shall be terminated. The making of said arrangements is the responsibility of the member in arrears and all parties involved shall keep such arrangements confidential.

Section 4. Members who have been terminated due to non-payment of dues may reapply for membership by completing an application and submitting the full amount of dues as dictated by Article III of these By- Laws.

Article IV

Membership Meetings

Section 1. Membership meetings will be held bi-monthly for the purpose of conducting club business, offering educational seminars or talks, and socializing among members and guests. The September meeting shall be designated as the Annual Meeting.

Section 2. Meetings may be suspended in months where other activities such as vacations, conventions, holidays, train shows, etc. may have an adverse effect on attendance. Notification of the change in meeting schedule will be made via announcement at a monthly meeting, email and/or in the newsletter.

Section 3. Special meetings may be called by the Executive Board to further the purpose of the club with notification of the meeting to the membership via email no less than one week prior to the meeting date.

Section 4. Meeting dates, times and locations will be provided at monthly meetings, in the newsletter, by email and on the club website.

Section 5. A quorum is required to conduct club business at any scheduled meeting where a membership vote is required. A quorum shall consist of a majority of the Executive Board and a minimum of 15 club members current on their dues. For this purpose, attendance shall be taken at each meeting.

Section 6. Parliamentary procedures as set forth in Roberts Rules of Order, revised edition, shall govern all meetings of the club except insofar as they are inconsistent with these By-Laws.

Article V

Officers and Committees

Section 1. The officers of the club shall constitute the Executive Board. The officers of the club shall be:

A. President

B. Vice President

C. Secretary

D. Treasurer

E. Newsletter Editor

Section 2. The Executive Board shall meet in executive session as needed. The president shall coordinate these meetings and give notice to the Executive Board of the date, time, location and topics(s) of discussion at least one week in advance of the meeting date. Members and guests may be invited to attend Executive Board meetings if deemed necessary.

Section 3. The term of office for each officer shall be two (2) years except in the case of the Newsletter Editor which is an appointed officer position. The President shall propose a Newsletter Editor for approval by the Executive Board.

Section 4. Any duly elected or appointed officer may serve consecutive terms up to a maximum of three terms. If there is no one interested in running for an officer position and the sitting officer is willing to continue serving, a vote of the membership will be held to approve making an exception to the requirements of the By-Laws.

Section 5. The officers of the club shall, in precedence of their office, assume the duties of the president in his or her absence or inability to serve.

Section 6. The duties of the officers of the club are as follows:

President: The president shall have general supervision over all of the affairs of the club, shall preside at all meetings of the club and shall appoint committees (as defined in Article V, Section 8. of these By-Laws)

Vice President: The vice president shall assume all the duties of the president in his or her absence, maintain the club membership roster and serve as the train show facilitator for the club. The vice president shall promote membership in the club and participation in its activities. In this regard, he or she, shall maintain close liaison with local large-scale retailers to encourage retailer support of the club. The vice president shall also make available membership applications on the website, to other large-scale clubs, train shows, swap meets, etc. The vice president shall be responsible for the collection of dues from new members and current member renewals. He or she, shall deposit and/or forward dues collected to the treasurer for prompt deposit. The vice president will maintain an official club roster including the names of family members included in the family membership as required in Article II Section 2 of these By-Laws. The vice president shall be the train show facilitator of the club maintaining contact with and being the club point of contact for train show promoters. He or she may appoint another member or members to assist in the club obligations associated with specific train shows the club plans to participate in.

Secretary: The secretary shall keep a record of: notice of membership meetings, minutes of those meetings, attendance at such meetings, and shall maintain club documents. In addition, the secretary will maintain the official copy of the By-Laws and a copy of Roberts’s Rules of Order.

Treasurer: The treasurer shall be the financial officer of the club and be responsible for maintaining and presenting an accurate accounting of the club’s assets. The treasurer shall use the cash accounting method in preparing financial reports for the Executive Board and the general membership. The treasurer shall prepare a financial report of the activities of the club and distribute via email prior to each membership meeting. Such financial reports will be discussed, as necessary, at the monthly membership meeting.

Newsletter Editor: The Newsletter Editor will put together a newsletter containing the information outlined in Article VI of these By-Laws and distribute it six times per year to the club membership, vendors with paid ads in such newsletter and other clubs who have provided an email address.

Section 7. Between elections, the Executive Board shall have the power to determine when a vacancy exists in any office and appoint a regular member to fill that vacancy until the next election.

Section 8. Members may propose the formation of a committee to the Executive Board for the purpose planning and executing events or projects. Upon formation and/or approval, a director may be appointed by the president to lead the committee. It will be the responsibility of the director to recruit members interested in serving on the committee, schedule and provide notice of meetings of such committee, assign tasks and prepare budgets, if applicable. It will be the responsibility of the director of each committee to ensure the project or event is successfully completed and to publish a timely report on the event or progress of the project in the club newsletter.

Section 9. See Article VII regarding the formation of an Election Committee.

Article VI

Publications and Club Communications

Section 1. The club shall publish a bi-monthly newsletter. The newsletter will be one of the means of communication of the club. The name of the newsletter will be the HOUSTON AREA G GAUGER.

Section 2. The newsletter shall include general information about the club (including contact information for the officers of the club) and a calendar of pcoming events, including meeting dates, time and locations. In the event an event or meeting is cancelled after publication of the newsletter, notification of

the cancellation will be made via email to club members. The newsletter will also include a President’s report; a recap of club activities, events and shows; articles associated with the hobby or other topics of interest submitted by club members; paid ads from vendors in the hobby and other such items deemed

appropriate by the Newsletter Editor.

Section 3. It will be understood that any material supplied by the members for publication in the

newsletter will have implied permission to be reprinted/published.

Article VII

Elections

Section 1. In June of each election year, the president shall appoint an election director to form a committee consisting of not less than three club members. The election committee shall seek a minimum of one candidate for each office up for election of that year. Any member running for office will be ineligible to serve on the election committee. Any member wanting to run for office must notify the election committee not less than forty-five days prior to the date of the election to have their names included on the ballot. The election committee with the approval of the Executive Board shall establish the election procedures.

Section 2. The election of officers will be held via an online survey prior to the Annual Meeting, by absentee ballot, or in person at the Annual Meeting. Every member, including children 12 years of age through 17 years of age, attending the Annual meeting will have the opportunity to vote. Absentee ballots will be available upon request. Absentee ballots must be returned to the election committee not less than twenty-four hours prior to the election. The vote will be decided as outlined in Article IX of these By-Laws.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall assume their respective office at the first business meeting following the Annual Meeting.

Article VIII

Club Expenditures

Section 1. Any expenditure to be made by the club must be approved in advance by a majority of the Executive Board. Any amount greater than $300.00 must be approved by a membership vote in accordance with Article IX of these By-Laws. A budgeted amount may be granted to an officer or committee chair person for recurring expenses (for example the newsletter), special events or projects upon approval of the membership in accordance with an amount or range of amounts and terms by a formal vote in accordance with Article IX of these By-Laws.

Article IX

Voting

Section 1. On all matters to be voted on, whether in person, by absentee ballot or electronic ballot, a simple majority of the number of votes cast shall decide the outcome or the winner in the case of the election of officers. In the event of a tie, a majority of the incumbent Executive Board shall have the right to cast the deciding vote.

Article X

Amendments

Section 1. These By-Laws may be repealed, amended, added to, or otherwise changed at any time if all the following conditions are met:

a. Proposed amendments to these By-Laws may be submitted in writing at any regular, special, annual or Executive Board meeting. The proposed amendment shall be agreed upon and signed

by three (3) members in good standing.

b. Following a review by the Executive Board, the proposed amendment shall be read at the next regular membership meeting by the presiding officer. At the same meeting, the recommendation of the Executive Board for approval or rejection shall be stated. The proposed amendment, Executive Board recommendation and the notice of intent to vote on the proposed amendment at the next membership meeting, shall then be submitted to the membership via email.

c. The proposed amendment shall be ratified, if approved by a formal vote as described in Article IX, Section 1. of these By-Laws.

Article XI

Dissolution

Section 1. This organization may be dissolved only through a formal vote as described in Article IX, Section 1. of these By-Laws.

Section 2. In the event of dissolution, all assets may be converted into cash, except equipment or other fixed assets suitable for transfer to a museum. After payment of any outstanding indebtedness, the assets of the organization shall be distributed to any worthy organization whose prime purpose is to promote the education and the hobby of model railroading, particularly G scale.

Section 3. In the event of dissolution, the incumbent Executive Board shall be responsible for distributing the club assets in accordance with Article XI, section 2. of these By-Laws.

Section 4. No officer or member, past or present, of HAGG shall benefit from the dissolution of this organization.

Article XII

Ratification

Section 1. These By-Laws shall be ratified by a vote of the membership as outlined in Article IX of these By-Laws.

​ Revisions

January 25, 2019

Article IV, Section 1. has been changed from: Membership meetings will be held monthly for the purpose of conducting club business, offering educational seminars or talks, and socializing among members and guests to Membership meetings will be held bi-monthly for the purpose of conducting club business, offering educational seminars or talks, and socializing among members and guests.